When Weeds Bloom portrays a collection of artworks by Mr. Pieter Jennes at Nino Meir Gallery that, in a word, achieve the difficult feat of balancing the mirthful with the somberness of neutral gray tones. We do not have an ecstasy of jubilee, yet we simultaneously do not have dreariness in the universal setting of what amounts to a taciturn reflectance of Antwerp grey as his “carnivalesque” characters play in the outdoor Belgian rain.

Indeed, it is this sense of play which Mr. Jennes is so keen to intricately, comically, represent; yet this is where the wonder is best accomplished – the weight of the fun experienced. There is a positively fantastical stretch of the natural elements, such as a horse’s own twisty hoofs in bow, shake, corners, begin, yet not intoxicated by wishful imagination, catapulting us out of an authentic reality Mr. Jennes and ourselves inhabit. He proceeds with playing with nature, such as his indelible cheeky squirrel in I just won’t move – yet, notice the artist is not saccharine in his judgment; there is an inarticulable delicateness in the staunch and formidable position of an uniquely imagined squirrel which makes the universal declaration of the right to munch in plain sight uninterrupted by rollicking dogs or humans seeking to violate its inner peace or balance on Earth.

‘bow, shake, corners, begin’ 2022. Oil on canvas. 59 1/8 x 70 7/8 inches. Courtesy of Pieter Jennes and Nino Mier Gallery

‘I just won’t move’ 2021. Oil on canvas. 27 1/8 x 19 1/4 inches. Courtesy of Pieter Jennes and Nino Mier Gallery.

It is this sense of equilibrium in the paintings, which undoubtedly is an exercise in the innocence and joy and marvel to animate the world through visual media, which brings such a masterful composure to each composition. The frenetic human characters which entertain us throughout the collection, for instance, are not brazen with attention-seeking. good for the bones is the most impactful flurry of a cavalcade of rambunctious humans giving us the idea of hungry, but clearly for their own gain alone; not for the gain of the greater good, in chasing after more meat for the bones of everyone. This slippery quest has its own inner moral hymn which nevertheless is subtle and not bombastic to our lenses; dramatic yet not histrionic in a motivation to hunt what is a domesticated animal – perhaps telling of the lack of self-sufficiency of contemporary Western Man in fending for himself? And yet, how marvelous to realize that self-sufficiency breeds a mindfulness on the need to cooperate with others to achieve the same goals, versus mindless selfishness and seeing fellow humans as obstacles in one’s course?

good for the bones, 2021. Oil and glitter on canvas. 59 1/8 x 66 7/8 inches. Courtesy of Pieter Jennes and Nino Mier Gallery.

Colorful checkers play a constant role in most of the artworks, which help fashion for us more flavorful portraits which ameliorate the possibility of dreariness and therefore sullen moodiness to the works. This is what makes them so captivating in the originality of the inner spirit of the works. These patterns undoubtedly are impressed from the fashion and textile world, providing novelty to the human experience of itself – see when weed blooms. To juxtapose the color with this Northern European grey emphasizes the inner light, the beacon of beauty, that is invisibly contained yet gently expressed, as opposed to rapaciously “Roman” with sumptuous and fervent rainbowture.

‘Augusts of Primo Porta’. Gods in Colour. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England. © Enrique Íñiguez Rodríguez (CC-BY-SA)

It is ultimately the poise in the intensity of color and the animation portrayed which is so mesmerizing in Mr. Jennes art. Never mind the meticulous technique and the conscientiousness to be so decisive in the brushstrokes. The nuances are captivating by themselves. We, have, therefore, a greater sense of being human, of our outwardly absorption of the spontaneous; if however positiviely mellow the dance needs to be, it is still a celebration of moving, of breathing, of being alive.